New Kids In Town
by ASlaveToWords
Summary: Rick had only meant to prove he was the top dog, but when a new friend appears and actually bows to his superiority, he realizes that maybe there's something else he could teach her. Meanwhile, Kane finds himself more then a little intrigued by a new face as well. A little envious of her close bond with her bitbeast, he finds himself veying for a special bond of his own.


**A/N: This is a OS I co-authored with the help of Divine Child. Yea, it's an OC story, you have been warned. We worked hard on it so if you don't like it, then just press the back button and move on. If you like it, a review, no matter how short, would be greatly appreciated. Thanx.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own beyblade. **

* * *

Saija McKenzie looked around curiously as she walked, her fingers hooked in the back pockets of her denim shorts.

"This place is... nice." She said, trying to be positive.

Since moving to Beycity a few weeks prior, both her and her best friend Ariel, whom was walking beside her, hadn't really gotten much of a chance to explore, what with unpacking, finding new jobs and such.

"There are people everywhere but it seems so... quiet. God I hope this place is more interesting then the last!"

"Well, it's not Montréal. Or Toronto. But I'm sure it'll be a little more exciting then the west coast." Ariel was quietly scanning her phone to find interesting places within walking distance. Within walking distance and cheap.

"At least, I hope so." She pulled her phone screen away from her to stare at Saija. "The last place was really boring... that or I really am anti-social."

This earned a laugh from Saija, though she made no comment.

The two walked for a while, both quietly taking in their surroundings, until eventually Ariel's eyes turned away from the view she'd been staring at to look at her best with a thoughtful expression.

"So... are you regretting us moving here out of the blue or is it still the best decision ever?"

"Mmmm..." Saija pursed her lips together as she hummed thoughtfully for a moment. After a few, she looked back to her best. "I'll letcha know."

As the two approached a park, they inspected it curiously, taking it all in. It didn't take them long to spot a beydish nearby. Looking around, they noted that no one seemed to be close by or using it.

Saija turned to grin at the girl beside her.

"Let's have a battle!" She suggested excitedly. "We haven't battled in weeks and Ourendi has been getting restless!"

Ariel heard her own bit beast calling out to her.

"We haven't... someone wants to come out and play." Ariel grinned, trying to dig out her beyblade. "One on one, partner?"

Saija's grin widened as she reached for the objects strapped to her hips. Wordlessly, she moved to one side of the dish and took out her blade and launcher, setting them up with quick fingers and practiced ease.

"OK, let's do this. No confinements, though! Only way someone wins is when the other blade stops spinning! Deal?"

"Deal!" Ariel finished setting up her gear only moments after her partner.

Adrenaline immediately began pumping through her veins. She was itching for a battle.

Both girls lifted their blades, eyeing each other with intense expressions.

"OK! Three, two, one!"

"LET IT RIP!"

The blades struck before they hit the ground, sending a spray of sparks over the dish. When they landed, they bounced apart, shooting up the sides before barreling towards each other again.

"Dont think I'm gonna take it easy on ya Rea!"

"I don't want you to!" Ariel gave her a toothy grin. "I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass!"

"Oh, bring it missy!" Saija replied with a laugh. "It is on like Donkey Kong!"

Both girls laughed and willed their blades forward, colliding with a mighty clash that echoed through the park.

* * *

Somewhere nearby, dark, brooding eyes opened as their owner turned his head curiously.

Rick Anderson turned his attention away from his two battling teammates and looked across the park. He couldn't see anyone from his place leaning against a tree, but he was sure he'd head the clash of distant beyblades and the shouting of excited competitors.

Smirking, the dark blader got to his feet and made his way towards the sound.

_"Heh. Fresh meat."_ He thought cockily. _"Maybe I'll show them how a real blader battles. Better then sitting here watching those two chase circles around each other."_

* * *

"Right Kane! Kane?" The bluenette had been listening to Tyson's story right up until a familiar sound drew his attention away. He was supposed to be having a quiet lunch with Salima, Tyson, Hilary, and Kenny.

_"Huh...?"_

His eyes traveled to the park that was just across the street from the café. Staring for a moment, he eventually got to his feet.

"I'll be right back, guys. I want to see what all the commotion is about." His eyes not leaving the park, he reached into his pocket to pull out a few bills and dropped them on the table.

"Kane, wait a minute!" Tyson called after him, but he was already making his way across the street.

* * *

"Alright, no more foolin' around, it ends here! Ourendi! Attack!"

The top of Saija's blade glowed a brilliant blue before a giant elk with shockingly massive antlers emerged from the top, towering over the dish. Rearing on its hind legs, it released a sharp cry before hurtling towards it's opponent.

An teal hue burned from atop of Ariel's blade.

The snapping jaws of a brown canine came forth, ready to attack.

"Go get her, boy!"

The two blades once more collided in a shower of sparks and this time the force of impact was enough to send the blades soaring backwards towards their owners. The girls watched in anticipation as their blades flew over their heads to land behind them, both bouncing a little as they hit the ground but otherwise unharmed and very much still spinning.

Saija sweat dropped and released a sigh of relief as her blade did a U-turn and shot back to spin at her left by her foot. She turned a confident grin on her opponent then.

"Heh. Looks like it's still game on!"

Ariel's blade had done a figure eight before loyally spinning by her side.

"Let's see if Ourendi can take Styx again! I'm sure he's just ready to go, aren't you boy?"

The blade seemed to hop on command like an excited puppy.

Saija laughed at the antics.

Completely immersed in their battle, the two didn't seem to notice that their enthusiastic battle had begun to draw a small crowd.

Standing among the array of all-aged bladers cluttered around the little dish, Rick eyed the strange girls with interest.

_"Huh... never seen them around here before. Wonder who they are?"_ He smirked as he thought. _"Don't matter. I'll wait til they're done and then I'll take on the winner! These losers think these girls are hot stuff? Ha! That's only cause they're new! I'm a top-ranking duelist. They'll wet their pants when they see what I can do!"_

Yet despite these thoughts, the dark blader couldn't deny that the girls weren't actually half bad. Nothing compared to him of course, but they were OK.

Rick wasn't the only one thinking on the girls' battling. Kane was watching with curious interest.

His eyes watched the two blades dart this way and that. He lifted his gaze to the two bladers, both of whom didn't look familiar. If they were considered to be top ranking, Kane figured he would have remembered seeing them at the big tournaments and competitions.

"Interesting..." He thought, just keeping mental notes of how good the two were.

"Alright, I think we've played long enough. What's say we really end this Ourendi? Come on boy! Show 'em you don't like to be picked on!"

Her blade whirled around, making a wide circle and shot towards a nearby see-saw. Shooting up it, it flew off the top-most end and landed gracefully on top of the swing set, spinning easily in place.

"Come and get it." Saija taunted.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to tease the dog?" Ariel sniffed, smirking.

She let out a whistle. "Go get 'im boy. Let's hunt us a stag!"

The blade quickly advanced to go follow after Saija's blade.

Saija smirked, throwing out her arm.

Several people jumped back in a hurry as the red and white blade flew from the top of the swing sets towards the ground. They parted ways as it shot towards a fountain nearby. Landing on the edge, it made a quick circle around the rim before coming to a halt at the front. The stag pawed at the ground, bucking its head, beckoning.

Without hesitation Ariel's blade flew towards it, once more colliding and causing the crowd to coo in awe as the blades skidded across the water, jumping at the edge and bounding towards the top. There they battled precariously atop, pounding and grinding against each other as the two bitbeasts locked horns, figuratively speaking.

"Styx, throw him to the ground!" Ariel screamed.

"I don't think so!" Saija exclaimed, lifting her hand high in the air. The stag lowered its head, waiting, and just when the pup made to pounce on it, it jumped over his head. The two whirled on each other, ready to go again.

Just then, a catchy little jingle sounded from Saija's belt.

"Huh?" Looking down, she realized her cell was ringing. Plucking the object from its clip, she placed a hand to her hip as she lifted the cell to answer. "Hello?"

She seemed to be listening for a moment and finally she spoke to the person on the other end.

"Kay, awesome. We'll be right there."

She hung up the cell and replaced it at her hip before looking up at her opponent.

"The movers are at the house with the last of our stuff." She informed her partner. "Looks like we'll have to continue this later."

That said she lifted her hand in the air again.

"Ourendi, come!"

The stag sunk back into its blade and instantly shot back towards its master's outstretched hand. Tawny fingers closed around the blade and lifted it to press to her lips before replacing it at her hip again.

"C'mere boy." Ariel gave a sharp whistle.

The canine disappeared back into the blade. It quickly hopped its way to his mistress before it gave one last hop into her waiting hand.

"Good boy." She whispered, tucking her blade away back into her pouch.

The two girls turned to walk away when an angry bystander pushed his way through the crowd, dislodging smaller observers on all sides as he stood behind the girls with his fist raised and clenched before him.

"Hey! That's it?! You're not even gonna finish the battle?!"

Saija stopped and turned around, blinking at the crowd as if only not noticing them. Her eyes then fell on Rick.

"Uh... yea." She said with a laugh and a shrug. "We gotta go."

Rick sputtered for a few moments before finally managing to form another sentence.

"What?! You can't just quit in the middle of a battle!"

The two girls exchanged a look before turning away from the dark blader and walking away again

"It was just a friendly battle between two friends." Ariel called over her shoulder. "Take a chill pill."

Rick stood there, fuming, while most of the rest of the crowd dispersed, a little disappointed.

"Excuse me." A voice called to the two girls.

Kane stepped forward. "Sorry to bother you two but that was some really excellent blading."

His gaze drifted from one girl to the other.

The girls stopped a second time and looked back at the blunette, eyeing him curiously. Saija was the first one to speak up.

"Thanks!" She replied enthusiastically, hands on her hips as she looked him over. "And you are?"

Kane smiled and stepped forward, extending his hand.

"Kane Yamashita!"

"Saija McKenzie." Saija replied, shaking his hand before he turned to her partner.

"I'm Ariel Whitman." She shook his hand. "Hey, aren't you that one guy from the Psykicks team?"

Kane blinked at her.

"Uh.. yea. How'd you know that?"

Saija smiled.

"We've done our research." She said playfully. "We're from North America, Canada myself. We just recently moved here and thought we'd check into what beyblade teams were around. Your teams names popped up."

"Oh." He gave a silent sigh of relief, fearing he was meeting two fangirls. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. You two wouldn't be part of a tag team, would you?"

Saija laughed.

"Nah, not really. We just kinda battled for fun back home, mostly tricks and entertainment. We know we're good, don't get me wrong, but we also know we're not _that_ good." She offered the blunette a cheeky grin. "I can be a bit of a sore loser, and I didn't feel like getting my ass handed to me by the big dogs, which is why we never really bothered to compete."

"Really, that's interesting." Kane smiled, thinking. "Say, speaking of big dogs, would you two ladies be interested in meeting of any of them?"

"Sure!" Saija replied cheerfully. "Only... we should probably get back to the house to meet the movers... How about you meet up with us somewhere later. Let's say... six-ish?"

From a few feet away Rick watched the girls turn and leave while the blunette made his way back across the park.

"Grrr!" He growled irritably. Making a quick decision, he turned and darted after Kane.

"Hey! You!"

Kane stopped and turned to blink at the dark teen.

"Uh... Hey, man. Can I help you?"

"Yea!" Rick said with an intense expression as he placed his hands on his hips. "I want in! When you go meet those girls, I wanna be there too!"

Kane blinked at him for a minute.

"Well... sure, I guess.." He replied awkwardly.

Rick smirked.

"_Heh! I'll challenge those two to a battle they won't soon forget!"_

* * *

"That's the last of it!" Ariel placed the box she was carrying down with ease. She looked around their cramped up place filled with boxes and tubs of various sizes. It was a big step moving halfway across the world. She sighed, wondering what she was thinking for making such a big step.

"Nervous?" Saija asked with a warm smile. She was sitting on a large plastic tub with crossed legs and leaning back on her hands as she observed her best.

"A little." Ariel turned around, looking sheepish. "I'm happy, yes but...wow...we're on a whole other continent...in the biggest beyblade centred city in the world."

She chuckled before giving Saija a look.

"He gave you his number, didn't he?"

Saija slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out the little slip of paper. She held it between her index and middle finger as she stared at it curiously.

"Yea..." She said simply, lifting her gaze she gaze her best a sly grin. "He was kinda cute, hey?"

"Uh huh." Ariel smirked. "Very cute...he's also your favorite color."

A look of utter delight crossed the girl's face at that.

"I know, right! Bonus!"

The two girls laughed and Saija glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It's five o'clock. Wanna text him and ask where to meet? We can grab a quick supper along the way."

"Me or you?" Ariel looked at her. "You know he handed the number to you. Kane...of the Psykicks...gave you his number to introduce us to 'big dog' bladers. You do it. I need to figure out what to change into."

Saija laughed again as she removed her cell from her belt. Consulting the paper once more, she punched in the coordinating numbers and lifted the cell to her ear as she listed to the rings.

"Kane speaking." The voice on the other end answered. "To whom may I be speaking?"

Saija stifled a laugh at the formal answer. Coughing politely she forced herself to sober up enough to reply.

"Hey. This is Saija McKenzie. We met earlier? So you mentioned meeting some of your friends... that offer still stand?"

Kane dropped the formalities. "Of course. They're actually very excited to meet you...including a certain blue-"

"World Champ!" Tyson's voice was yelling while someone hushed him.

"Tyson." Kane sighed. "We'll be meeting at a local place a lot of us bladers usually meet up. I can give you the address."

"Kay, cool!"

She listened as the blunette rattled off unfamiliar names and numbers. She repeated it in her head a few times to commit it to memory before smiling.

"Alright, we'll see ya there!"

"See ya there, Saija." Kane hung up after a goodbye.

"Hey, Sai, did you call him?" Ariel was trying to mess with hair, poking her head back into the room.

"Yep. He gave me an address. No idea where or what the place is but it should be interesting. And guess what? Tyson Granger is gonna be there!"

"You kidding? For reals?" Ariel laughed, tossing her hair brush. "Well, don't have to worry about looking pretty. That guy couldn't tell a pretty girl from another. But it'd be nice to finally meet the World Champ! Hey, you think any of the other teams'll be there?"

Saija shrugged and hopped off the box she was sitting on.

"Duno. He did say he was gonna introduce us to 'the big dogs' so I'm gonna take that as a yes!"

She moved to rummage through a box for a minute until she pulled out a black jacket. Shrugging it over her shoulders she turned back to her best.

"So, ready?"

"Ready!" She had a denim jacket over her blouse, giving Saija a thumbs up.

The two girls turned and left the house.

* * *

Saija stopped and gawked at the massive building before her, the french fry she'd been munching on falling from her lips as her jaw dropped.

"Woah!" She exclaimed. "This place is massive!"

"I think this picture does not do it justice." Ariel slurped away on her milkshake, staring at the picture on her map on her phone before turning the map off.

The girls looked back down again as the front doors to the ridiculously tall building slid open with a mechanical whiz and a familiar blunette approached them with a smile.

Kane looked the girls over as he walked. Saija was wearing pretty much the same thing she'd been wearing earlier except for a new black jacket; a purple v-neck tank, short dark denim shorts and tall black and white heeled boots. There was a multitude of black bracelets on her right arm and a thick black band on her left. A pair of chunky silver earrings hung from her multi-studded ears. Her skin was an attractive tawny shade, and her long, thick hair was mostly black with shocks of purple, pulled back in a high pony tail. Bright, energetic blue-green eyes shone curiously as she stared back at him.

A small smile lit his face.

_"She's kinda cute..."_ He thought appreciatively.

The Ariel girl looked the same except for leaving her hair down and putting on a jacket like her friend, hers denim. She wore the same white graphic t-shirt with rainbow colors over it, grey shorts, and white and blue tennis shoes. Her hair had been up and was let down to show that she had waves with a small clip to hold it out of her face. Small studs glittered in her ears. She was paler in comparison to her friend. Large, doll eyes that appeared green had looked to him with a shy smile.

"Welcome to the BBA headquarters." Kane said with a smile, holding out his arms.

"So cool!" Ariel grinned.

Kane escorted them inside. He paused when Saija made to walk in the same time he did.

"After you." He stepped to the side.

She laughed and gestured forward playfully with her hands.

"No, no, I insist! Please, lead the way."

"Ladies first." Kane smiled. "It'd be my honor since I am your host."

Saija sweat dropped before offering him a lopsided smile and finally proceeding to enter the building. She stopped inside and turned to wait for the other two.

Kane waited as Ariel passed him before following the two girls into the lobby.

He paused.

"A bit of a warning. They may be big dogs but they're still people. Just be your natural selves."

Saija lifted her hand to give him a mock salute.

"Yes, sir!"

"Okie dokie." Ariel gave him a thumbs up.

Kane chuckled as he lead them to a set of doors off to the side. The moment they entered the room, it exploded in a blast of noise and chatter. Players from different teams had all mingled into one common area, acting as if they were each others biggest rivals.

Saija blinked in astonishment as she looked around, feeling a small giddy wave of pleasure wash over her as she recognized most of the faces.

"Wow..." She cooed softly. "So cool..."

Ariel's eyes widened, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. There were so many people she recognized, some she knew she wouldn't be able to speak to.

"This is... amazing."

Kane smiled at the girls. For a moment he felt a little sting of jealousy, envying the famous bladers for their instantly recognisable faces, but he quickly brushed it away.

"Come on, I'll introduce you guys."

The blunette led the girls towards a cluster of bladers who were crowded around a large beydish, cheering on Tyson and Max.

"Go get him!" Salima, Miriam, and Ray cheered.

"Guys." Kane raised his voice loud enough to get their attention. "I want you to meet a couple of new faces."

They all turned towards the girls and smiled.

"This is Salima and Miriam. You probably already know Ray. Guys, this is Saija and Ariel."

Saija stood with her thumbs hooked into her back pockets, grinning like a kid at Christmas.

"Hey, girls, nice to meetcha! And yea, we know who Ray is!"

"Nice to meet you." Ariel managed to raise her voice just enough for them to hear her.

"You two must be the bladers that Kane went to check out!" Salima grinned. "I heard you two drew quite a crowd."

Both girls looked a little sheepish.

"Eh... yea apparently." Saija laughed. "Didn't really notice until the end though."

"Humble." Miriam nodded approvingly. "Wasn't expecting that. You seem alright and- GO! KICK HIS ASS, HONEY!"

Ariel flinched at Miriam leaving to get closer to the battle.

"I'm guessing Miriam is dating Max." Ariel wiggled a finger into her ear.

"Ah..." Kane sweatdropped and leaned closer to the girls so only they would hear him. "Its sort of an... on again off again thing. We try to ignore it..."

Both girls sweat dropped at that but made no comment.

"Anyway..." Salima said, looking a little awkward. "How did-"

"Hey! You two!"

All faces turned to see Rick standing with his hands on his hips and a cocky smirk on his face.

"All these guys are just butterin you up! You're just amateurs! You think you got what it takes to face off against real pros like us?"

"No." Saija replied bluntly, making the dark blader collapse. "And yea, we know we are."

"What?!" He exclaimed, his fist clenched before him again. "You mean you're not even gonna try and defend yourselves?!"

Saija shrugged.

"Why should we? We only blade for fun. We're not cut out to compete with you guys and we know that."

Rick closed his eyes and placed his hands on his hips, sighing heavily in annoyance.

"Man, you're no fun. What's wrong with you?!"

Saija laughed and shrugged again.

"Nothing is wrong with us. You're the one who keeps stalking us." Ariel commented. "Dude, chill, seriously."

A vein throbbed in the dark blader's forehead as he opened his eyes and growled at the girl across him.

"Don't you tell me to chill! You're the ones who are totally lame! Tch! Coming to the BBA headquarters and not even putting up a fight! And you call yourselves bladers!"

Saija was looking at the large teen thoughtfully. After a few moments she snapped her fingers.

"Ah! Now I recognise you!" She placed her finger to her mouth to stifle a laugh. "You're Rick Anderson. Wow, I'm sorry, I didn't recognise you before."

This sent the tall teen into a rage.

"WHAT!? Whatta ya mean ya didn't recognise me!? I was the top-ranking duelist in America!"

"We know." Saija replied. "We watched yours and Max's preliminary matches going into the finals. You were awesome."

"Real nice tag teaming there, tall one." Ariel tilted her head to the side to look up at him. "You and Max make a good duo."

Slightly subdued by the compliment, Rick stood there, hands on his hips and fuming as he debated on a reaction. Eventually he placed his hands on his hips again and gave another heavy sigh of annoyance.

"Yea, well. Thanks, I guess. We are pretty awesome."

"Super awesome." Ariel grinned. "You done fuming yet? You don't look so cool when you look like a volcano about to erupt."

"Oh, I duno, Rae. He could be one of those savage beasts ya know? Tryin to be all puffed up and mean-looking, when on the inside he's really harmless as a kitten."

The others laughed and Rick's temper flared again, his face red.

"What?! Why you-! I'll show ya harmless as a kitten! C'mon, put your blade where your mouth is!"

Saija lifted her hand to wave airily.

"Nah." She said boredly. "Already done that today. I'm bored."

She turned her back on him then to watch the match happening behind her.

Steam practically pouring from his ears, Rick turned a heated expression on the other girl.

"How about you! You too chicken to face me too?"

"No." Ariel threw her empty cup away. "But I'm not going to battle you simply because your ego got hurt and your temper has flared. It's no good like that."

Hazel eyes stared at him.

"Rick, you need to chill the hell out."

The people around the two snorted with laughter.

"Ooooo! Shot down!" Miriam exclaimed, laughing heartily.

"Looks like she told you, Rick!" Salima teased, laughing as well.

There was a clink of blades and a loud whoop from Tyson as him and his opponent finally finished their match. Max smiled, shaking his head before picking up his blade and turning to his partner.

"Rick, they're right. You need to chill. What's gotten into you today, I thought you'd learned to relax a little?"

Ariel wagged a finger at him. "I'll battle you when you learn to battle me for fun, not for a boost of 'I'm better then you'. Got it, big guy?"

Rick stared at her for a minute, completely at a loss for words as he continued to fume. Eventually he snorted angrily.

"Tch! Whatever! I'm gonna go find some real competition. Later losers!"

With that he turned and stalked off.

Max sighed.

"Just ignore him. He just needs a while to cool down." The blonde smiled then and offered his hand to the girls. "Anyway! Hey, I'm Max!"

Saija felt an excited tremor shudder through her as she all but jumped forward to excitedly shake the blonde's hand.

"Hey! I'm Saija! You were amazing at World's!"

Ariel tried to hide her amusement, watching Saija introduce herself to Max.

She grinned at Kane.

"Thanks for this by the way. I think you just made Sai's night."

"Is that so?" Kane asked with a laugh. He looked back to the two, watching Saija chatter excitedly to the blonde while Max smiled good-naturedly and talked back.

Once again he felt a little tug of jealousy. No matter where these guys went, they always had girls like this fawning all over them. Sure, it probably got annoying, but it must be nice sometimes too.

"You have no idea." Ariel whispered. "She has posters and all sort of stuff of Max... don't tell her I told you that. She'd kill me."

"Posters?" Kane repeated out loud. "Of Max?.. Really?"

He turned to look at the ravenette in time to see her freeze and tense, whirling back on them with a scarlet face.

"Ariel!" She exclaimed, mortified. Behind her, Max lifted his fist to his lips politely as he chuckled.

Kane slapped a hand to his face.

"I'm sorry!" He mumbled behind his hand.

"Oh my God..." Saija said, horrified. "Uhm... I-... Wow! Is that a real uh-.. thinggy? So cool! Gotta check that out!"

In a blink she darted away and disappeared through the crowd.

"Uh man..." Kane said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "Me and my big mouth..."

"Uh huh, you can say that again." A dark shadow enveloped Ariel. "Great, do you have any idea what I got to do to make it up to her now? Besides maybe using you as a punching bag?"

"Uh... That's no necessary..." Kane said, lifting his hands before him and backing up.

"Hey, when you find her, let her know it's cool, she doesn't have to be embarrassed." Max said with a sweet smile. "I'm actually kinda flattered. It's nice to meet big fans... when they're not screaming in my face and trying to tear my clothes off..."

"Way too much info there, Max." Ariel held up a hand. "And we will...right Kane?"

Hazel eyes glared a hole into him.

"What? Me? Why-... right... Uh, OK..."

"Good." Ariel linked her arm through Kane's. "He's going to show me around to others. It was nice meeting you."

She had a good grip on him for being such a petite young woman.

"Alright pretty boy." Ariel grinned. "Let's go find Sai."

Kane sighed heavily as he followed after the girl - not that he had a choice.

They made their way through the crowd, with Kane giving small introductions before they found an empty hallway. Ariel had determined her best had gone this way.

"Sai!" Ariel called out. "No need to hide. You may proceed to maul Kane now."

A strangled exclamation was heard from close by.

"Ariel! God!"

The ravenette was around the corner, facing the wall with crossed arms as she pretended to be very interested in a large picture hanging there.

"Saija." Ariel sighed. "We talked to Max. He says it's cool."

"Great, cause that totally makes me feel better." She grumped sarcastically, sweat dropping. She then sighed heavily in annoyance.

"Maybe I should go find Rick..." She grumbled. "What I need is a good, hard battle..."

"Sai?" Ariel touched her friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry... I thought someone could keep their mouth shut."

She turned to glare at Kane.

Saija sighed.

"It's cool." She said, giving her friend a lopsided smile. She then turned and punched the smaller girl hard in the arm. "That's for embarrassing the hell outta me though!"

"Ow!" Ariel winced, holding her arm. "I'm sorry, okay?! I didn't mean it... I wasn't trying to embarrass you in front of Max."

She grumbled.

Saija laughed and stuck out her tongue.

"Yea well next time don't trust a man to keep a secret!"

"Got it!" Ariel gave her a thumbs up, feeling better that she wasn't in the dog house.

Kane just studied the two. It was like two opposites to him, always seeming to bounce off one another like a good push and pull. But at the same time, they were so similar as well. He was totally intrigued by them.

"Max seemed pretty happy to know that you're a fan." He finally spoke up.

That seemed to please the ravenette.

"Well, moving on!" She said with a laugh. "So, what next? ... How about a tour, Kane?"

"Sure." The blunette said with a smile, turning to the side and gesturing down the hall. "We'll start this way. C'mon."

Kane led them down the hallway towards the better half of the HQ.

"Everything still feels brand new." Kane commented. "Ever since the BEGA incident, the BBA has become more and more up to date and been wanting to provide the best services to bladers everywhere."

It still amazed him that in such hard times, so many people; friends and rivals alike, could all band together for a better cause to pull what they all loved so dearly out of the ashes so quickly.

Turning his attention back to the girls, he noted how they both seemed to be taking a great interest in the building, and the thought made him smile.

"You two should see the training rooms. Best there is! Better then some playground." He teased lightly.

The girls laughed and the blunette gestured them towards one such door, stepping aside to let them enter.

"Woah!" Saija exclaimed, her jaw slack as she looked around.

The room was massive. Lining the walls were training aids and obstacles of all kinds; something for every style of blading.

Aside from multiple dishes of all different sizes and types, she also spotted ramps, targets, automatic launchers, a multitude of synthetic terrains of every kind. The place was certainly fully loaded.

"Anything you need to practice on, they got it! Trust me, I think Salima and I have tried to handle any obstacle. Mostly for fun though." Kane saw the look in Saija's eyes. "Whatcha think?"

Saija made a face as a thought occurred to her. For a moment, the little voice in her head screamed at her to let it go, it was none of her business. But that voice was quickly snuffed out as her curiosity and inner nature got the better of her.

"So is Salima your girlfriend?" She blurted almost immediately.

"What?" Kane raised an eyebrow, staring at her in surprise.

Mentally slapping her forehead, Saija resisted a sigh.

_"Smooth move ex-lax..."_ she scolded herself.

Quickly passing the question off as casual, she gave the blunette a smile.

"Just wondering." She replied casually. "Nice to know these things you know? Don't wanna step on any of my new friend's toes! Bad blood and all."

For effect she even gave a joking laugh.

"Sure?" Kane gave a casual laugh. "To tell you the truth, we're not. We're close, yes, but too much like family to hook up. I just figured everyone knew who her new boyfriend was. I'm so used of those two being together that I forget not everyone knows them."

"Oh?" Saija asked, reaching back to hook her thumbs in her back pockets again out of habit. "So who's she dating?"

"You'll never guess." Kane leaned against a wall.

Saija sweatdropped.

"Uh... nope probably not..." She teased. "Don't really know anyone, remember?"

She paused as she thought for a minute, considering the bladers she knew.

"Uhm... Michael? Eddie?... Rick?"

"Miguel from Battlion. Surprised me too. They started talking about a year ago when Salima and a bunch of her girlfriends over for a sleepover. Miguel brought over something of Mathildas and it just... kind of... happened." Kane smiled fondly, thinking of how happy his teammate was to have found someone.

Saija blinked for a moment before her expression softened and she smiled.

"That's... sweet. Good for her." Noting the silence, she turned to her best. "Hey, you've been awfully quiet. Cat got your tongue?"

"Sorry..." Ariel had been listening when her phone had gone off. She had it set to vibrate when they left after their 'supper'.

"Mom called." Ariel let out a loud sigh. "I forgot to call her back to let her know that we made it to Bey City in one whole piece. Mind if I step out for a second to make a phone call? Reception in here is terrible."

"Oh. Yea sure. I'll see ya in a bit."

Ariel stepped out of the room, dialing the number. Her voice was faint until the doors closed behind her and there was silence.

Kane smiled, seeing Saija study the room.

"Anything else on your mind?"

The ravenette turned to look at the blunette.

"Hm? Oh, no, not really... so what else ya got to show me?"

Kane thought for a minute.

"Well... there's more stuff on the upper floors. Care to go see?"

Saija smiled and nodded.

"Yea sure. Let's go have a look."

She again followed the blunette as he left the room and headed for the elevator down the hall.

* * *

Ariel had nearly made it back to the main room they'd entered through when the always distinguishable clash of a beyblade reached her ears.

"Huh?" She cocked her ear in the direction of the sound. "Now what? Sai challenged Kane to a match or something?"

She listened closely again.

No, it was only one beyblade.

Her eyes traveled from where the two had just been to the direction of the noise she'd heard.

_"Heh, why not?"_ Ariel turned around to the room the noise was coming from. The doors slid open for her and Ariel poked her head in first before slowly making her way inside.

"Hello?" She could still hear the sounds. "Sai? Kane? Is that you guys?"

Her eyes fell on a familiar tall dark and handsome blader.

Rick was jamming to some very loud tunes, which were blasting from the oversized headphones around his ears. Every time he stomped his foot or pumped his fist in the air to the music, his blade blasted through one of the targets he'd set up, smashing it into a hundred pieces. The display of raw power was awe-inspiring but what was most amazing was that the teen was barely breaking a sweat.

"_How is he doing that?"_

Ariel pushed back a stray hair. She walked closer, moving along the side of the room until she found a bench to sit on.

Her hazel eyes never left the taller teen.

_She watched, quietly, as Rick practiced. She heard that fainted growl in the back of her mind._

_"Not now, we'll play later...we're watching okay? I don't need you to stir up his bit beast simply because you want to herd the bison."_

Ariel watched as Rick reached up to shrug off his vest, letting it slide from his shoulders and fall to the floor in a heap, leaving him bare backed and bare chested.

"Alright Rock Bison!" He yelled loudly, likely not realizing how loud he was with his headphones on. "Warm up is over! Let's really get in a good work out!"

He stood with his legs apart and lifted his fists beside him, releasing a loud yell almost like a battle cry.

The top of the dark bladers blade glowed brightly before his huge bitbeast rose from it.

"Rock Bison, Drop Rock!"

Rock reached out and threw a wicked fast, powerful punch that made his biceps contract and the beast flew forwards, completely blasting through a massive stone pillar and reducing it to rubble like it was a pile of salt.

"Heh! Good one! Now let's take on the big guy!" He made a jump and hit the ground at a crouch, pounding the floor hard enough with his fist to made it vibrate, though it didn't seem to faze him at all. At this, his blade shot forward and easily demolished a gigantic stone statue of a dragon, crumbling it to dust.

"Yea!" The teen cheered, getting to his feet with a smirk. "Tell me there's a blader out there who can stand up to that! Keep it up buddy! We're gonna be invincible!"

Ariel just sat there, slack jawed, her eyes hadn't moved away from Rick. She knew for a fact that amount of power would be amazing to go up against. There was also another reason as to why she remained very quiet with her legs crossed.

"_I have a kink now. I like watching sweaty, muscular guys beyblade..."_

She gulped, trying to get her brain back from where it was running. The mixture of adrenaline from watching someone beyblading and the combination of her own hormones, which were screaming at her, made for a bad combination.

She tried her best to focus on where the dragon statue had once stood rather then Rick's backside.

Rick reached his hands up to crack his knuckles, a wicked smirk on his face.

"Now for the finale!" He boasted, eyeing up a floor to ceiling stone statue of a snarling tiger.

Ariel stared. There was no way.

Rick took up the stance he'd been in earlier and this time every muscle in his back and arms bulged as he threw his head back, a long and drawn out yell tearing from his mouth as he seemed to be amping himself up.

In response, his blade began to glow brighter and Ariel's eyes widened as the bison seemed to swell in size as well.

Finally, Rick seemed to reach his full power and moved like a strike of lightning, his fist pounding the floor this time with enough force to actually splinter the tiles and leave a large dent. As he did this, his blade shot forward and collided with the statue with a brilliant explosion that instantly blanketed the room in a cloud of dust and debris.

Ariel coughed and sputtered, waving her hands before her face to try and clear some breathing room.

When the dust had finally settled, she gawked to see that the statue was no more and instead the room was now covered in a thick layer of powdered stone.

"Holy shit." She whispered under her breath.

Now she was glad she didn't take Rick when he was angry. Why should she when she'd have had him at his full potential?

Her mind went gleefully back into the closet, causing her turn scarlet.

She really had to get her hormones in check. No need to get all hot and bothered over some guy just because he looked good shirtless.

Maybe, taking Rick on in the dome would be fun.

Maybe not to him, but to her, win or lose, it would be interesting.

Totally lost in her - not entirely wholesome - thoughts, Ariel didn't seem to notice that the room had suddenly gone quiet. It wasn't until she heard the familiarly rough voice that her head jerked up to see the dark blader now looking at her with a less than impressed expression.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" He exclaimed, a slightly angry look on his face as he stood with his huge paws on his muscled hips.

Ariel jumped up, backing away until she fell over the other side of the bench in one clumsy move.

"Omph! I was just watching! Sorry! I heard your beyblade and thought it was Saija and Kane!" She struggled to get up, only to end up slipping and landing back on her butt again. She scuttled backwards until she was up against the wall and reached to press her hands against it as she stared up at the dark teen with slightly wide eyes.

Rick angry was not a pleasant thing to see when all alone with him.

Despite all her expectations, the dark blader smirked cockily.

"Yea, well, can't blame ya for wanting to get a sneak peak at real talent." He approached her with the same confident expression and when he was in front of her, he reached down and grabbed hold of her waist, easily jerking her up to her feet as if she were no more then a paper weight. "Kinda clumsy aint ya?"

"Not always." She hoped that her face wasn't too pink.

_"He just picked me up like I was nothing!"_

Shaking those thoughts away, she forced herself to keep his gaze.

"Just... thought you'd be screaming a lot more since I was watching you practice."

"Tch. You bein here don't make one lick a difference to me. I'm still great, with or without an audience." He smirked again then. "So watcha think? Impressive huh?"

Ariel opened her mouth for a second.

She took a look at him then at the piles of dust behind him.

"Yeah, I will admit. I am impressed." She tried to smooth down her shirt, brushing at any dust that might have settled there.

"Heh." The dark teen replied, obviously pleased with this answer. But he made no further comment.

"So. Since it's just you an' me, how about that battle?" Rick asked cockily.

Panic rose up in her chest.

"Uh...you know, a few minutes ago, I would have said yes." She gave him a forced lopsided smile. "But I realized; you would beat me pretty badly...so...the answer is...no."

She felt her throat clench up.

Did she just say all that out loud?

In any case, Rick seemed put off by it.

"What?" He asked almost as if disgusted. "Are you serious? That doesn't even make sense! You battle people you know are better then you so you can GET better! What kinda blader are you!?"

"None of your damn business." She felt flustered.

She ducked under his arms and headed for the door.

"You wouldn't understand." She muttered, taking her jacket off to pat the dust out of it.

She continued towards the door but suddenly a huge sinewy arm appeared in her view as Rick slammed his hand against the wall in front of her. Looking up at him, she noted an intense look on his face.

"Oh wouldn't I?" He replied with a fierce expression. "Ya think I was always like this? Ya think I just picked up a beyblade and instantly started smashing through stuff? No way! It doesn't work like that! You pick fights against people you know you'll lose against because it makes you stronger! And when you do lose you challenge them again. And again. And again! Until one day, you're standing over their motionless blade while yours spins strong right there beside it!"

He leaned down into her face and narrowed his eyes on her.

"A real blader never backs down from a tougher opponent. Even if he knows he'll lose. It's all about pride and practice!"

Ariel leaned back, eyes wide.

She wasn't sure if she was frozen in fear, or from his cold hard slap of reality. But one thing was certain.

she was afraid.

"Here's what you're gonna do." The dark teen's voice rumbled lowly, the intense expression still on his face as he stared down at her. "You're gonna take out your blade, march over to that dish and you're gonna fight me. And you're probably gonna lose. But when the battle is over, you're gonna feel like a million bucks, know why?"

"Why?" She could barely force her voice to be heard.

He leaned down a little further, his face merely millimeters from hers.

"Cause you'll have faced your fears and gave it your best damn shot. And nobody can ever expect more from you then that. That's what a real blader does."

He pulled back from her now and his cocky smirk returned.

"So, how about it, little girl. Are you areal blader?"

Ariel was trying to figure out just why he was saying these things to her. They were getting to her and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was his tone, maybe it was just his words alone.

Looking back she remembered; when she was always training, her mother would always tell her she wasn't good enough. It was never enough. It didn't matter if she gave it her best damn shot and was left covered in bruises.

It was never good enough for her.

It got to a point where, pushing herself to the extreme, leaving herself totally bone weary and exhausted, she would often end up bottom up in some strange place after passing out from the over-exertion.

But still it just wasn't what her coach, her mother, wanted.

Now here was some bonehead telling her that giving her best shot was all that was expected of her.

"Yeah." Ariel finally said simply, clearing her throat and trying to get it working again.

She raised an eyebrow at him, deeming him either a great life coach or a nutcase.

Rick seemed proud of that answer.

"Good." He replied simply, gesturing to the dish as he reached for his launcher and blade. "Go!"

Ariel felt her heart begin to pound loud in her ears. She felt her eyes watering, feeling like she was about to take a dive off a high cliff. Styx gave a sharp whine, feeling his mistress' pain.

Mentally consoling the beast, Ariel set up both blade and launcher.

"_All I have to do is give it my best shot."_

A few tears escaped the moment she positioned herself on her side of the dish.

She was ready to let go.

Rick's expression was still intense as he held his launcher up across the dish, but the look in his eyes softened ever-so-slightly at the sight of the tears.

"Alright, no holding back! Gimme your best shot! You do that and no matter what happens... you'll have my respect."

The words meant a lot and Ariel found herself momentarily speechless. Giving nothing more than a nod, she lifted her launcher as well and narrowed her eyes in concentration. This time Rick actually smiled.

"Ready? Three, Two, One!

"LET IT RIP!"

* * *

"And this here is the data room. They record blader's stats here so we can see if and how we've improved. They've also got-" He paused when he noted the look on his companion's face and chuckled. "This doesn't interest you at all does it?"

Saija jumped slightly as if being awoken from a trace. She looked away from the computer she'd been staring dully at and gave him a guilty smile.

"Uh... no. No it's... fascinating.

"Saija." Kane gave her a knowing look. "You can be honest and tell me that you're bored. I won't be offended."

She studied him for a moment before eventually laughing.

"Yea OK… it's kinda boring. Sorry."

"It's alright." He chuckled. "How about we take a break and go find something more interesting?"

"Sure." She replied with a smile. "How high does this place go? What's on the top?"

The blunette gave her a wide smile.

"Glad you asked. Let's see shall we?"

Intrigued now, Saija followed the blunette once more back to the elevator. They rode the lift up twenty stories before it stopped and Kane led her once more out of the lift. When he opened a heavy metal door, he gestured her through and she stepped out into the open and realized that they were on the roof.

There were round tables with round benches and umbrellas set up around, a snack bar off to the side and a small set of bleachers across the way. Of course, in the dead center of the huge area was a large bey dish.

"Wow." Saija said with a smile, her hands in her back pockets again. "Now this is impressive. Very nice."

"I had a feeling you'd like it." Kane crossed his arms. "It's nice to come up here after practice. Even better when no one is around. You get a whole view of the city skyline."

His eyes turned to her.

"So...may I ask a personal question?"

A little taken aback, the ravenette turned back to her companion with a slightly surprised expression.

"Uh... yea, sure I guess."

"What got you into beyblading?"

She smiled as she turned forward again to stare at the beydish.

"Honestly? Seeing all the people compete on TV." She said with a fond smile. "Ever since I watched the first live competition, I was hooked. I've always thought it was so cool."

She laughed then.

"I used to want to play in the big leagues. I'd always dreamed of being the first female world champ! It only fueled my passion even more when I realized how few female bladers there are out there."

"If you always wanted to be the first female world champ, how come I never heard of you in any of the big tournaments?" Kane asked.

She looked down for a moment then, a small smile on her face, before looking back up and approaching th dish. She stood at it's edge, staring down into the smooth bowl for a long while before eventually speaking again.

"I remember the first live beybattle I ever went to in my hometown. One of the up and coming pros at the time was there, and after his match he announced he'd be offering his skills the following week against anyone who wanted to challenge him. Of course, my name was the first one on the list. During the days leading up to it, I was a ball of energy and excitement and when the day finally came, I made my way to the streets with everyone else to watch him arrive in his limo. It was standing there, among all those screaming people that I realized... I didn't wanna be him."

She looked up then and stared off into the distance.

"He was just a rising star, not really a big deal yet. But still everyone around knew him, idolized him... were constantly hounding on him. And I realized that if I was the champ, if I was famous, I'd never get a moments peace. Everywhere I went people would be screaming my name, they would know me but I wouldn't know any of them... I know everyone usually dreams of being famous, exactly for these reasons but... that was something I never wanted."

She smiled again then.

"So I left the crowded street behind and dropped out of the competition."

Kane just stared at her, studying her. He was processing her story. Eventually, a faint smile appeared on his features. Wordlessly, he walked to Saija's side.

"You didn't want any part of the limelight, so you gave up your chance to battle the best of the best?"

She laughed at that.

"It sounds kinda stupid when you put it that way." She teased. "I know it's lame and I know it probably doesn't make sense to you but..."

She shrugged.

"It's just not my scene. Besides, like I said earlier; I know I'm good but I really don't think I'd be quite good enough to compete with everyone else." She turned to the blunette with a smile. "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to call myself a blader and I'm proud of what I can do. But I'm happy blading for fun. And I'm happy being able to introduce myself to people who have never heard my name or seen my face before. I have fun when I battle and that's all I ever really wanted."

Kane felt a stab of guilt at that, moreso when he considered his thoughts earlier. He'd been jealous and envious over the famous bladers, namely Max, for exactly all the reasons Saija had listed for not wanting to be them. He'd been one of the people who had wanted others to know him, scream his name, recognise his face. But now looking at the point she'd brought up, he realized that maybe that wasn't important after all.

"That sounds...wonderful." He calmly put it, feeling something dislodge from his chest. It was that ache left there from the jealousy.

His eyes lifted to the dark haired girl next to him.

"And it does make sense to me."

"Good." She said playfully. "Anyways..."

She trailed off, suddenly feeling a little awkward. Why had she told him all of that? He couldn't possibly care, even if he was pretending to be nice about it.

Kane turned around so he was staring at her face.

"Name the top bladers that you ever wished to battle." He saw the look on her face. "C'mon, humor me. I want to know what you wish for."

Saija laughed and considered.

"Well... Max, of course, but I'm sure you saw that coming. I'd also like to have a go at the champ." She grinned at that. "Though I think I know what the outcome would be... I duno. Maybe Mariah, I always really admired her and it's awesome that she's such a high-ranking blader among the guys!... Mmmm... maybe... Kai Hiwatari..."

She stopped and shrugged.

"Typical answers, I guess." She replied playfully.

"No, I wasn't expecting Mariah or Kai." Kane gave her a pleasant smile. "You surprised me."

"Yay." She replied sarcastically, laughing again.

"Hey." He reached out to her, touching her arm. "I'm trying to get to know you here. Right? We're getting to know each other...like friends?"

There was a devilish look in his eyes as he thought, recalling her asking if Salima was his girlfriend.

Saija sighed inwardly but forced a convincing smile.

"Yea. Friends. Thanks, Kane. I'm enjoying myself..." She grinned at him. "And getting to know each other."

"I can tell." He stood next to her, nudged her a bit. "Why did you want to know if Salima was my girlfriend?"

Saija had to force back a blush but she reached and playfully nudged him back.

"Already answered that question. I just didn't want some angry girlfriend coming after me with her jaws snapping for pulling her boyfriend off alone! I know I'd be kinda pissed."

"Oh you'd be pissed if someone tried to dragged off your boyfriend? How pissed?" Kane tried to hide his smirk.

This really beautiful, dark haired blader who was pulling at his heartstrings was leaving his heart and mind in utter chaos. It was strage but he liked the tingle he was getting. He didn't usually feel a tingle.

"Sure I would." She replied casually, not even remotely noticing the blunette's teasing. "Well I mean, I wouldn't go all ape shit or anything, he's a big boy. But he needn't come crawling back afterwards like it's no big deal, ya know? There's just some things that are inappropriate when you're in a relationship... Like being alone with some girl you just met when you're already dating someone for example."

She turned an amused look on him then.

"Why the hell are we talking about this?" She laughed. "And more importantly, how did we go from beyblading to relationship preferences!"

"Hey, I'm just curious!" Kane laughed, holding up his hands in defense. "And I don't know. I like how we managed to change subjects like that. It's nice."

She said nothing but smiled as she turned back to look out over the skyline again. After a few thoughtful moments, Kane once more spoke up.

"Hey, could you show me your beyblade?" He paused. "And I don't mean just take it out and show me. I want to see how you interact with your bitbeast."

"You've seen that already." She replied simply. "What you saw in the park today was pretty much it. I'm not being modest when I say there are no more surprises."

She heard an annoyed cry in her head and laughed.

"Sorry Ourendi." She said, reaching back to lovingly finger her blade. "No offense, buddy."

"You have a strong bond with him, don't you?" Kane was most impressed and a bit jealous that Saija had such a strong relationship with her bitbeast.

Yes, he did remember the park, and a part of him wanted to see it again. Suddenly an idea popped in his head.

"You think you and I could battle some time? I mean, not now obviously but... another day?"

She gave him an odd look but there was a small smile on her face.

"I guess so." She replied a little wearily. "Though I can't promise we'll be much competition."

Again she heard a cry in her head, this time quite indignant.

"OK, OK! I'm sorry!" She said, laughing heartily now as she took out her blade and stared down at the bit on top in amusement.

Kane chuckled. He approached Saija, standing right in front of her, and leaned down in inspect the blade.

"He certainly believes he truly is a Lord of the Forest." Kane chuckled. Saija laughed as her thumb affectionately brushed the bit.

"Oh, you have no idea!" She replied in amusement. "He can be quite the show-off at times!"

Kane raised his head to stare at Saija. He hadn't realized just how close they were. Studying her, he noted the swirls and patterns of green and blue mingling in her uniquely colored eyes. A perfect mixture of something completely stunning and ethereal-like.

"Saija?"

Smiling she looked up at him, but her smile dropped as she too realized how close they were.

"Uhm..." She stared at him for a moment before lifting a hand to cough awkwardly and take a pointed step back from him before smiling at him again. "Yea?"

Kane took a small step forward. "You think you and your bit beast could show me and mine how to do some of those 'tricks'? Teach a few to this crazy blader?"

She blinked at him for a moment before smiling again.

"Yea I guess we can do that." She grinned wide. "Maybe you can go pro and use some of our fancy moves to get famous instead!"

Kane grinnd as she turned to set up her blade and launcher and took a moment to study the scene around her.

"Hmmm..." She hummed thoughtfully. "Let's see... Alright Ourendi, let's give this a shot."

With a proud smile on her face, Saija positioned herself over the dish and released her blade.

* * *

"Hey not bad!" Rick grinned as his opponent dodged to the side to avoid his blade, just in the nick of time too as his bitbeast plowed into the side of the dish and left a sizable dent.

"Yeah right!" Ariel found herself laughing. Her chest still felt like it was wrapped in barbwire but she was having fun.

It was as much fun as Styx was gonna get getting chased by a giant bison. It should have been the other way around and indeed Styx was looking for his way in to take down Rock Bison.

"Alright, you did pretty good, but it's time to put this puppy back in its kennel! Rock Bison, do your thing! Drop rock!"

Ariel took in a sharp breath as the colossal beast towered down on them. She knew what was coming, but for once, she wasn't scared.

The pup made a valiant effort and indeed he met the beast head on, but the bison lowered his head and when the two collided, it gave a toss of its horns and the pup, submitting to it's awesome power, immediately went soaring through the air.

The two watched as it flew high, flipping several times as it fell back to the ground. When it hit the bottom of the dish again, Ariel took a hopeful breath to see it still spinning but after a few teetering tilts, it gave one last whirl before finally sputtering to a stop.

Her eyes just stared at her motionless blade for a moment. Something inside of her snapped, and she released a deep breath.

Sighing she gently fell to her knees. It was like a great weight had lifted off of her back.

Her fingers brushed back her hair as her eyes watered.

She lost.

She lost and...

It was alright.

"I did it." Ariel whispered to herself. "I did it and I'm okay."

A hand appeared in her field of view and she looked up to see Rick standing over her with a proud smile on his face. He wasn't quite as out of breath or tussled as she was, but he did look a little worn out and his breath was a little faster then normal.

"Now that's how a real blader battles." He praised as he offered her a hand.

Ariel blinked, staring at him. Her face changed to a huge smile.

She took his hand.

"That was amazing!"

All the frustration wasn't entirely gone but she felt a lot better. She felt like she'd finally earned a degree of freedom and it felt amazing. Indeed, as he had said she would; she felt like a million bucks.

"Yea, it was pretty cool." Rick agreed playfully. "You're not bad, I guess. Though you could use a little toughening up."

He reached out to playfully squeeze her biceps.

"Hey!" She tried to bat his hand away. "No touchy..."

Ariel blew some hair out of her face.

"I'm ticklish."

Rick raised an eyebrow at this before bursting out laughing, throwing his head back as he laughed heartily. When he stopped to look at her again, there was a huge amused grin on his face.

"You're not much of a soldier are you? Who tells their enemy their biggest weakness? Since I feel so sorry for you, I'm gonna be a nice guy and give you a five second head start."

"Wait, what? NO! Rick, don't you dare!" Ariel hopped up on the bench, trying to get away from him. "Hey! Take it easy on me, jerkface! I was just kidding."

For the most part, she was.

She glared at him. "I wasn't trying to tell you that on purpose. Besides, why on earth would I want bulging muscles like yours?"

Rick was grinning like a madman.

"Five. Four. Three..."

Ariel took off for the door. She completely forgot to grab her beyblade but she figured if she hid well, Rick would take pity on her and leave her alone about her ticklish problem.

"Two.." He continued behind her. She'd just made it to the door when he stopped. "One. Time's up."

In a blur of white and bronze, the dark teen shot towards her, easily gaining on her in a matter of seconds.

"Nope!" Ariel dodged him. "Not going to happen, muscles!"

She tried. She really did try to dodge him but a pair of big hands snagged her.

"_Crap!"_

Rick's powerhouse arms wrapped around her from behind and tugged her tight to his chest.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed triumphantly. "Here's the part where you beg for mercy and try to appeal to my better nature."

"You have a better nature? I can't see it when you insist on torturing young, beautiful girls with their tickle weakness!" Ariel joked playfully. "And like I'd beg for mercy to you, Rock head."

"Fail." He said bluntly. "That was sad. You know what that means."

With an evil grin, still holding her tight to him, his hands at her sides wiggled their fingers, tickling her mercilessly.

Her eyes widened for a second before closing. She tried to hold it as long as possible but before long she completely lost it and burst out laughing.

"No! Stop!" She was beginning to wiggle and squirm from laughing. "Please...okay okay! You're the big guy on campus! Ha-ha! You're the ultimate beyblader! ha-ha-ha! You're the rock guy! HA-HA! Just please...stop...tickling me!"

Her head was bent down as she felt her eyes leak from laughing so hard.

"Heh. Not bad. What else ya got?"

"Egomaniac!" She let out a loud giggle, and he tickled her more. "Okay, I'm sorry! What else you want me to say?"

"Oh, now that wasn't nice!" He said, feigning a hurt look and tone. "And after what I did for you!"

He paused a moment to turn her around and Ariel took the break to take a few much needed deep breaths. But before she could get a chance to relax, he had her pinned against the wall with his massive stature and resumed ticking her again.

"Heh! Now watcha gonna go huh? Looks like you're completely at my mercy!"

"Please!" Ariel shrieked. "Just...stop it! Haha! Okay okay! You're a hot stud muffin of manliness! There! I said it!"

She giggled. "Just stop...hahaha."

She couldn't finished talking.

Like a train on rails screeching to a halt, the torture did indeed stop. Ariel took a few moments to regain her composure, and looked up into the dark face, panting.

"Stuf muffin?" Rick repeated, seemingly unable to decide whether to be amused or offended. In the end he decided on the former and grinned wide.

Releasing her waist, he reached his hands up to place on either side of her head before leaning down extra close to her with a devilish smirk and a smouldering stare.

"You think I'm a hot stud muffin eh? Well isn't that interesting..."

Ariel gulped, trying to regain some composure on her deep embarrassment right now.

"_Did I really have to say stud muffin? Yeah...major brownie points for me...not!"_

"Hey." She tried her best to look casual and indifferent. "I'm a straight female. I can appreciate...I'm sure other young ladies such as myself would too..."

"I wouldn't know." He replied causally. "I think most chicks are afraid of me."

He seemed completely unbothered by this fact however as he leaned down a little further into her face, his smirk widening.

"And hey, you're allowed to appreciate. Can't say I blame ya."

Her face felt warm, very warm.

"Heh, yeah...yeah I do! Cause you're..." Ariel frowned. "I don't understand why most chicks would be afraid of you. Okay, maybe I do! I mean...you're..."

She suddenly shut her mouth, realizing what she almost said.

His smirk widened to a full out grin then.

"I'm...?" he prodded.

"Nothing." Ariel remained tight lipped, turning her head away from him.

Undeterred, Rick continued without missing a beat.

"Tell me, watcha thinkin right now? Come on, what happened to the brave little blader who just went up against the almighty Rick Anderson and came out grinning?"

"N-nothing, it...it would sound...really...pathetic..." Ariel gulped.

"Heh." The dark blader seemed to be thoroughly enjoying toying with her.

"Let's see... I betcha I can guess..."

"Go ahead then." Ariel took her stance, trying not to melt under his smouldering stare.

Without warning, Rick swooped down and effortlessly scooped her up into his arms. His hands resting under her thighs, he wrapped her legs around his powerful body as he pinned her against the wall again. The look in his eyes was simmering as he leaned his face in close to hers again.

"I bet you're thinking something along these lines..." He drawled huskily. "You're thinking about what it would be like to have a guy like me handle you like a little doll... how great it would feel to have someone able to so totally and easily dominate you... that's exactly what you like, aint it?"

Ariel gulped slowly. A hot flash of heat seemed to envelope her entire body, making the blood pumping in her seem to sizzle.

"Yea, you're easy to read, _Ariel_." It was the first time she'd said his name and the sound of it from his mouth sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. "So, tell me... now that I got ya figured out, whatta ya want?"

He feigned dropping her before catching her again, a huge grin on his face.

"Ya want me to put ya back down... leave ya alone to go find your friend again?"

She looked so offended when he did that. Insulted that he would teased her the way he was.

"No." Ariel glared.

Rick chuckled.

"Aww, just look at that face." He teased, reaching up to playfully pinch her cheek. "That supposed to be scary? Should I be shaking in my boots?"

"You shouldn't tease me like that." Ariel grabbed his hand, pulling away from her.

He laughed now.

"Why not? I asked ya what ya wanted and ya didn't tell me. So, can't really get mad for doin what I want can ya?"

She pushed his hand away. Ariel smirked, leaning her body forward to wrap her arms around his neck.

She nuzzled his cheek.

"Mmm maybe I want to spend some time with you..."

Rick felt a shiver run down his spine and looked into her face.

"Well, here I am." He teased softly, his smirk still in place.

"Isn't this the part where you're supposed to kiss me or do I have to everything myself?" Her fingers brushed against his hair.

Her mouth brushed against his.

A pressure stirred deep down and Rick grinned against her lips.

"I think I've done most of the work so far." He muttered against her. He gripped the underside of her thighs firmly and pressed himself close to her.

"But hey, who am I to turn down the request of an adoring fan?"

Like a viper striking its prey, he captured her lips in a searing, intimate kiss, pressing tightly enough against her to steal her breath away. When she gasped, he grinned and slipped his tongue out to teasingly lick her lips.

She murmured against his lips. There was a hot flash of heat as she eased open her mouth for him.

His tongue slipped inside her mouth exploring, dominating. The hands under her thighs lifted and wrapped around her back, pulling her as tight to him as their bodies would allow. Backing up, he carried her back into the training room and kicked the door shut behind them, never breaking the lip lock for a moment.

He moved to one of the benches and sat, positioning her in his lap and leaning back against the wall while she straddled his hips. His hands roamed around her back, up and down her sides, down her legs and back again. But he didn't get too fresh as he kissed her hungrily.

Ariel's hands were shaking as they went from from his face, shoulders, and down his chest. She currently felt like her brain had switched off, not realizing just how much she had wanted Rick to kiss her. She liked how his large hands roam over her body; it made her want him even more.

A chuckle rumbled low in the dark blader's throat and he gave her lips a teasing nip before pulling back from her.

"Like that do you?" He asked teasingly, lifting an arm to flex a bicep. "A powerful man making you feel like a real woman?"

"Mmm I do..." Ariel let her fingers trailed down his chest. "Makes me feel like I want to see if I can turn this powerful man into goo."

"Heh. I don't think- ahhh..." He trailed off, his arms circling her waist and pulling her tight to him as another shiver ran down his spine. Pulling his head away from her he turned to narrow his eyes at her. "Hey! None of that!"

Ariel giggled. "I'll save more of that for later then...that is, if there is a 'later'?"

Her eyes cooled a bit, looking at him hopefully.

To her utter delight, Rick's expression softened considerably.

"Eh, I guess I could spare a few hours here and there for ya in the future..." He replied playfully. Reaching up, he brushed back her hair from her face and cupped the side of her cheek.

"You're a pretty cool chick, Ariel." He said, his voice still a little husky. "I think I could get used to havin you around... and maybe I'd like to spend a little more time with ya. Ya know, if I'm not already busy and all."

There was a cheeky grin on his face at that.

"I would love that." She smiled happily, eyes shining. "And I'd like to have you around a lot more too."

He gave her a real smile now and brushed his thumb across her cheek.

" 'Sides. You still gotta beat me."

Ariel opened her mouth to reply but before she could get the chance, Rick chuckled and leaned in to kiss her again, this time considerably more gentle as he once more wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to him.

* * *

Saija watched as her blade hit the dish. As soon as it touched down, it moved to whirl around, circling a few times as if doing a few warm-up laps.

"Hmmm... let's see, what can we show you?" She pondered aloud. "Whatta ya think Ourendi? Ya think you can come up with something to impress our new friend?"

The top of the blade glowed a brilliant blue and once more the large stag rose from the bit.

Grinning, Saija lifted her hand and thrust it out to the side. The stag charged at the side of the dish and leapt, bounding off the edge and making a beeline for the side of the roof.

Kane watched, holding his breath as the beast seemed to be heading straight for the edge. His heart went up into his throat when the stag leapt again, making the blade jump to the railing. Teetering for a second, the blade straightened and whizzed along the perimeter.

"Aren't you afraid he'll fall?" Kane asked with wide eyes. Saija ginned confidently as her eyes followed the beast and her blade.

"Not a chance!" She replied proudly. "We've done things a lot more dangerous than this. You have no idea how much practice we put into this stuff! The kids back home loved it!"

Kane was amazed.

How lucky she was to have such a precious creature in her care. To have something... no, a _someone _that close in which to share a bond with. Someone who trusted her so thoroughly and completely to be able to do anything; from the simplest of tricks to the most dangerous of stunts.

He was enthralled yet jealous.

How lucky she was to have a bit beast. How amazing she was to obviously fully understand and acknowledge it.

It made him like her even more.

Kane watched as Saija approached the railing. His eyes bugged when she climbed up onto it and held her arms out, balancing.

His face paling, the blunette made to move forward but stopped, suddenly afraid of startling her and making her fall. The building was at least thirty something stories high, the fall would be the death of her.

He watched, horror-struck, as she took a few steps, teetering for a moment like her blade had, but eventually grinning and lifting her hands to whistle. Kane watched as her blade spun around on a post before shooting back towards her at a breakneck speed.

Saija stood, waiting, until the blade was nearly upon her. When it was merely feet away and closing in, she moved to do a cart wheel and when she did, the blade caught on her foot as she turned, causing it to soar through the air in the other direction and shoot back along the opposite side of the rail.

Saija did a back flip off the railing and without stopping, did several more flips across the roof until she reached the opposite railing where her blade was fast approaching. With quick reflexes, she lifted her launcher and gave it a flick, making a hidden extension spring out.

She gave another sharp whistle and the blade once more rounded a post and shot towards her, this time flying through the air.

Kane watched, wide-eyed as her blade landed on the tip of the extension and zipped up it. Saija gave it a mighty toss in the air and the stag did a few somersaults before disappearing back into its blade. As it fell back to the earth, Saija reached up her launcher again and snagged the blade with it. To the blunette's astonishment, when she lowered the launcher again, the blade was once more connected as if it had never left its base.

With a brilliant, one hundred watt proud grin, the ravenette turned to her new friend and bowed with a flourish.

"Ta da!" She said with a laugh.

Kane gawked at her for a moment, his expression a torrent of emotions until eventually he grinned wide and lifted his hands.

"Bravo!" He clapped enthusiastically. "That was..."

Terrifying!

He was completely taken aback by Saija.

"Fantastic! Amazing!... In fact, I don't think I have enough words to describe what that was! Sai, that was incredible!"

Kane walked up to her and laughed. "Although, I've never been so terrified for another human being in my life... Still, that was... just wow! It obviously took countless days training with your bitbeast to do that! I've never seen anyone with a better connection with their bitbeast."

She laughed again.

"And countless cuts and bruises, let me tell you." She replied playfully. She then lifted her arm to show him a small angry scar on her forearm. "This is from one such times. That one was nasty! But I'd never expect my bitbeast to do something I wouldn't do myself. It's all about trust and practice."

She suddenly looked bashful as she separated her blade and launcher, placing them back at their rightful places on her belt.

"Thanks..." She replied with a small, embarrassed smile. She then grinned cheekily. "So, ready to try?"

"Uh...sure?" Kane hadn't been that truthful with her.

He didn't have a bit beast.

Since that time with the cyber copies of the Bladebreakers bitbeasts, Kane had always envied other bladers for their awesome gifts. But a cyber bitbeast was a poor comparison to the real thing, even if it had been nice to have one for a while...

He began to pull out his blade and launcher.

The worse thing that could happen was her either slapping him or laughing at him.

Kane was hoping on neither.

To his surprise, she did the latter.

Saija reached out and placed a hand over his, forcing him to lower his launcher.

"I was kidding!" She said teasingly. "I'd never let you even consider attempting anything I just did! Didn't you hear what I just said? That took years of practice! Besides, I'd never let you put yourself or your bitbeast in that kinda jeopardy. Way too dangerous."

She smiled at him kindly now.

"If you're really serious about learning something new, we can show you guys something a little easier. Long as you and your beast trust each other, you should be fine."

Kane stared at her, feeling an horrible knot form in his stomach.

"Saija...I think..."

Oh he could forget it! He just wanted to see how good she was! He was impressed by her beyblading earlier that day. How would someone like that even consider a guy like him? A blader without a bitbeast? A true warrior whom everyone loved? No, he wasn't Max. He wasn't Tyson. He was himself, Kane.

Kane sighed.

"Saija." His eyes lifted. "There's something I have to tell you."

Her smile slipped a little.

"Let me guess, you're gay." She replied, only half teasingly.

"No." Kane released a chuckle at that comment. "I... I don't have a bit beast. I lied to you and I'm deeply sorry for that."

A deeply stung expression captured her face then and she frowned deeply.

"But... but why?"

The bluenette hung his head.

"I...I only said that because...for one, I didn't want you to think less of me as a blader and...I wanted...you to show me some cool moves. You're... I think you're pretty...cool."

A faint blush crept up his face.

Saija felt a mix of emotions raging through her, all fighting for dominance.

"I-..." She began, at first confused. Then she felt her face flush at his compliment, until finally a look of hurt crossed her face.

"I see..." She said quietly. She frowned at him. "Kane, I... thank you, I'm glad you liked what you saw but... I don't understand-"

She stopped and shook her head, there was no point dwelling on the fact.

"I would never think less of someone just because they don't have a bitbeast." She said softly, a deep frown on her face. "A bitbeast is a rare privilege, not a right, and I know how lucky I am to have one... but I... really wish you didn't lie to me..."

She looked down to the side for a moment.

"I don't like liars..." She mumbled, a tinge of anger to her voice. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"There is." Kane fought hard to keep cool.

She was angry at him and he expected that. He should have thought long and hard about choosing to lie her about something so minor, the one thing he was completely unsure of. Kane knew his experience with girls hadn't been the best sheet in his teenaged life.

Now, the one time he finally found one interesting whom he wanted to get to know, he found a way to screw it up big time.

"There is..." He repeated. "But I'll only tell you if you really want to to know. I'm...just not sure how you're going to react."

Saija sighed wearily.

"Please don't tell me you've got a crush on me." She almost whined, reaching up to place a hand to her forehead and one on her hip. "Honestly, I... well I did... think you're kinda cool. Know virtually nothing about you but hey, willing to learn. But I just met you today and I am so not ready for a love confession yet...!"

Kane found himself release a sheepish laugh. "Well I was going to ask you out actually. I'm not sure if I call this attraction to you a 'crush'. I think you're fun, smart, and willing to be generous to a lying ass like myself. I was hoping on getting to know you more."

His eyes lifted to hers.

"That is if you want me to."

She looked up at him and blinked, staring for a moment before finally laughing and, yet again, reaching to hook her thumbs into her back pockets.

"Yea, OK. I can handle that... But no more lies!" She gave him a mock stern look.

"OK, deal." He laughed. His expression then softened as he approached her with a tender look on his face. "I found you interesting earlier today and I was hoping on a chance to meet you and to get to know you in some way. That's why I offered to have you and your friend meet the bladers... a chance to break the ice."

She gave him a kind smile now.

"And I'm glad you did. Thanks... it'll be cool to finally have some new friends to hang with. We owe you for that."

Kane felt a sharp arrow jab him right through the heart.

Friend?

Saija lifted an eyebrow and gave him an odd look.

"What's with the long face, blue?" She asked teasingly, confused.

"I want to get to know you as more than a friend, Saija." He might as well cut to the chase. That would be the last time he ever let Ray and Max offer him love advice. He was still surprised those two had good love lives. Ray, for sure. Max...

That was whole other issue.

The ravenette sweat dropped.

"Kane..." She said, wearily. "I just-... first day, remember?... Gimme a chance to... feel you out... decide if there's even anything there... I know next to nothing about you..."

"Okay." Kane approached her. "Then would you like to get to know me?"

Her breath hitched and she unconsciously took a step back from him.

"Well, I-..." She swallowed. "Sure... What did you have in mind...?"

Kane had decided this had to be the dumbest idea he'd ever come up with.

"May I have this dance?"

She looked at him as if he'd gone completely off his rocker.

"Excuse me?" She said in bewilderment.

"Look…" He blushed. "I can hear music playing from somewhere and I haven't really got the chance to be close to you. We dance under the stars with faded music and you can ask me anything you want...deal?"

She blinked at him for a few moments before bursting into laughter and removing her hands from her back pockets.

"OK. Deal."

Kane felt like he'd accomplished something great as he offered his hand to Saija. He could still hear the faint music in the distance. Hopefully, it would last long enough for the two of them to share something... romantic.

If he could call what he was planning romantic.

Saija shook her head with a smile before stepping back towards him and into his waiting arms. Placing her hand in his, she reached up to place the other on his shoulder, looking very amused.

They danced slowly to a lazy waltz.

"Alright, ask me anything..."

She looked up thoughtfully.

"Hmmmm..."

Kane waited, anticipating, until eventually she gave him a sheepish grin.

"I can't think of anything!"

Kane sweat dropped.

"There must be something you've been wanting to ask me." He laughed, twirling her slowly around. "I don't care how embarrassing the question is, just ask me."

"OK." She replied as he pulled her back to him again. "What's your favorite food?"

This caught the blunette completely off-guard and he laughed heartily before replying.

"Hmm, curry." He spun them around slowly. "Yours?"

She made a face.

"Ewww!" She teased. "Really? Oh man! Pizza all the way!"

"It's good if it's homemade." Kane chuckled. "I can make a mean curry...or stir fry."

She wrinkled her nose cutely at him with another grin.

"You make me a huge deluxe pizza, hold the onions, and we'll talk!"

"Deal." Kane grinned. "Care to have that delivered or picked up?"

She laughed heartily at that.

"Hm... Let's go with delivery." She said with a cheeky grin. "It's always fun to see who's on the other side of your door!"

"Care to have me as delivery boy?" Kane chuckled.

Her grin widened.

"Boy you're persistent." She teased. "But hey, if you're gonna bring me a pizza, you can drop in any time!"

"Yes, I am." Kane twirled her again before placing a hand on the small of her back and dipping her. "And you mean that? Drop by any time?"

Her expression softened.

"Maybe..." She replied softly, smiling up at him. "If you promise to put extra cheese!"

"As much as you want." He leaned down.

Kane thought for a second, staring into those entrancing blue green eyes.

No, he wouldn't kiss her tonight.

Unless, she wanted him to.

Unless, she asked him.

God he hoped she wanted him to.

"Good..." Saija whispered, staring at him for a long moment. After gazing into his eyes for a long while, she eventually spoke again.

"Kane...?" She whispered softly. His heartbeat quickened.

"Yea...?" He whispered back.

"Can I get up now...?"

Kane felt like the guy at the fair who sat there and took it while he got pied in the face.

"Yea... sorry..." He muttered, totally defeated as he helped her back to her feet.

He had a feeling he was going to be making a crap-ton of pizza for a while.

Saija stared up at him for a few moments, neither seeming to notice that they had stopped moving. Her hand was still in his however and the one on his shoulder slipped a little further down his back as she pressed herself ever-so-slightly closer.

"Anyone ever tell you you've got great eyes..?" She asked quietly, a cheeky grin on her face.

"I do?" Kane blushed in surprise, raising an eyebrow.

"Yea." She replied simply. She then grinned mischievously before releasing his hand and reaching up to playfully tug at his bangs. "And did I mention blue was my favorite color?"

"It is, huh?" Kane felt a shiver down his spine as she touched his hair. "Blue is a good color."

"Yea. It's pretty cool." She replied playfully, moving her hand to his other shoulder now. "So... we're not dancing any more..."

"We were... I guess I was..." Kane felt his throat constrict, making it very hard to gulp. "I was paying too much attention to..."

"To...?" She prodded playfully. The mischievous look returned. "Me..?"

"Yes, you..." His hand was still on her waist, holding her there.

She grinned wide now.

"I think you do have a crush on me." She teased, reaching up to poke his cheek.

"I think I do too." Kane chuckled at himself.

Feeling a warm wave of affection wash over her, Saija ignored her sudden increase in heart rate and forced herself to pull back from the blunette.

"I knew it." She sang playfully. She then looked up at the stars. "Anyways... it's getting kinda late. I should go find Rae and head back..."

"May I walk you back?" Kane offered. "Until you find your friend?"

Saija looked back at him and gave him a half smile.

"Sure." She replied pulling away from him. He watched as she turned and once more stuck her thumbs in her back pockets. She'd walked several feet away before stopping to look over her shoulder at him.

"Well? Coming?"

Kane shook his head, forcing himself to focus on her instead of her extremely cute backside.

"Yeah." He hurried up to her side with arms extended down, fumbling to find his pockets.

Saija resisted a silent sigh as she made her way to the steel door, pausing only to give it a hard yank until it opened with a loud creak. Proceeding inside, she headed straight for the elevator.

Kane followed her to the elevator and hit the down button.

When the doors opened Saija immediately boarded, followed closely by the blunette. She leaned against the railing inside, her hands behind her back and staring at her feet. She absently kicked her right heel against her left toe as she waited for the doors to shut and the lift to start.

Kane reached forward and once more lifted a hand to hit the right button.

"Saija?" He turned around to stare at her thoughtfully.

"Hm?" She replied absently, not looking at him.

He approached her, planting his feet on either side of her legs.

"Saija, look at me."

She looked up at him, blinking once. Her feet ceased their movement as she stared up at him.

"Yea...?" She replied softly, feeling her face heat slightly.

Kane found himself edging closer, gulping.

"May I?"

Her heartbeat quickened as she stared up at him like a doe caught in headlights.

"Yes or no? I won't do it unless you want me to..." Kane whispered, leaning down so their faces were a just a hairs distance from each other.

She swallowed hard.

"I-..." Her face flushed now. She attempted a playful smile but it came out a bit more nervous than she intended. "Since when does somebody ask if they can kiss you...?"

"Since I respect you." Kane brushed his fingers across her cheek. "Because I want to get know you... because I care about how far you want to go to get to know each other..."

His lips hovered over hers.

"Yes or no?" He whispered.

Saija bit her lip, looking uncertain.

"Kane..." She whispered, frowning. "I still don't... know you..."

His eyes closed for a second, a small smile coming to his face before he pulled back and instead pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She wrinkled her nose again but this time there was no smile as she looked away and off to the side.

A small smile graced the blunette's lips as he shook his head and moved to lean beside her, mimicking her position.

"You really are something, you know that?" He said softly looking at the ceiling.

A half smile graced Saija's lips and she gave a soft laugh.

"Yea... sorry."

He lowered his head to look back at her.

"It's alright." He replied softly. "Maybe the delivery guy will have better luck."

This time she laughed genuinely.

"Yea, maybe." She replied playfully.

Kane grinned and looked forward again.

Yep, he'd definitely have to come up with a good pizza recipe.


End file.
